English
exigent
Exigent comes from Latin exigēns ‘driving out, demanding, weighing, examining’, from agō ‘to drive’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eǵ-‘to drive’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂éǵeti‘to be driving’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*agō‘to drive’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEagō‘to drive’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEexigō‘demand, require’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEexigēns‘driving out, demanding, weighing, examining’present active participle of exigō
- Englishearliest quotation 1591exigent
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eǵ-‘to drive’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂éǵeti‘to be driving’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*agō‘to drive’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEagō‘to drive’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEexigō‘demand, require’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEexigēns‘driving out, demanding, weighing, examining’present active participle of exigō
- Englishearliest quotation 1591exigent
Earliest quotation: 1591, William Shakespeare, The First Part of Henry the Sixt: “Theſe Eyes, like Lampes, whoſe waſting Oyle is ſpent,…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ- ‘to drive’
register, suggest, essay, acre, gesture, congestion, digest, agrarian, progesterone, gestation, ingestion, agitate, ingest, belligerent, axiomatic, samaj, agger, gestion, gerund, 128 more
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti ‘to be driving’
strategy, agony, reactionary, antagonist, agonist, axiom, antagonism, antagonize, glucagon, stratagem, agonize, 102 more
through Proto-Italic *agō ‘to drive’
reaction, actively, transaction, radioactive, inactive, retroactive, hyperactivity, unambiguous, reagent, ambiguously, 80 more
through Latin agō ‘to drive’
act, action, active, activity, actual, actor, agency, examination, agent, examine, agenda, activate, squat, agile, ambiguous, agility, ambiguity, enact, agitation, radium, actuator, actuation, actuate, cogent, redact, inexact, 97 more
through Latin exigō ‘demand, require’
Today it means
adj Urgent; pressing; needing immediate action.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ- / exigent